Little-known boiler trick has cut my bill by nearly £100 a month – how you can do it too | The Sun

A SAVVY saver has revealed how a little-known boiler trick cut their bill by nearly £100 in just one month.

It involves checking your boiler settings to make sure it is set to the right temperature – otherwise you could be paying much more on your bills.

The trick works if you have a combi-boiler, which provides both hot water and heating – and its the most common type of model used by Brits.

It comes as families are feeling the crunch as the ongoing energy crisis has hiked energy bills to record-breaking levels.

Some are having to put 50% more of their weekly budget towards gas and electricity costs.

It's meant that one in 10 families are on the brink according to Citizens Advice, as Brits face falling into the red or being left unable to cover essentials.

As families look at ways of slashing their bills, one thrifty customer has revealed how they have saved £93 since the beginning of December using a simple hack.

The saver took to parenting forum Mumsnet under the handle JollyHostess to reveal how they did it.

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She said she checked the flow settings on their combi-boiler and realised it was set at default to 80C.

But they re-set this to 50C for hot water and 55C for heating after receiving an email from their supplier, Octopus, recommending customers to tweak their boiler to these temperatures to save money.

Although this lower setting will take longer for your systems to fire up, it has stopped the customer from spending "huge amounts" on their energy bill.

"I have saved £95 since the beginning of December and this is the only substantial change I have made," they said.

"Seems worth a try since we're all crippled with ridiculous energy bills at the moment."

You can check the tips out for yourself on Octopus' website.

How to change your flow settings

For those with a combi-boiler, you'll most likely have two dials on it – one for heating, and one for hot water.

The heating dial will most likely have a radiator icon on it, while the hot water dial will probably have a tap on it, according to The Heating Hub.

Boiler settings vary from model to model – so its a good idea to check the manual to find out exactly how to set yours.

How else is my boiler costing money?

It's not just your boiler's flow settings that could be making your energy bills go up.

Ensure that when your boiler's running that there's no draught. Ventilation is good for health and air quality but it's the first place where heat will escape.

If there's a draught, grab a draught excluder and plug the gap. You should also ensure your windows are closed before the sun sets.

It's also worth closing your curtains before its gets dark as the heat will then stay inside your home.

Hot water is known to kill nasty germs but how hot do we need our water? Many of us waste heating our hot water to 60C before cooling it down again by mixing it with cold water.

At 60C hot water can cause serious scalding in under five seconds. However, in order for hot water to kill nasty bacteria, the water needs to be above 75C and submerged in the water for over 30 seconds.

If you're washing your dishes by hand, then you only need to loosen the grease and oil.

Another great way to ensure you save money is to turn off your boiler when you're not using the water. Most boilers or thermostats have a setting to allow you to schedule when the heating turns on and off.

If you spot rust on your boiler then it could mean you're paying more than you need to on using your appliance.

Although rust itself does not cause issues, it could be a sign that there is a leak – which indicates there is a problem with your boiler.

It can also upset the temperature balance in your boiler, making it run less efficiently and ramping up costs.

There are also a list of other common boiler problems we've rounded up that could be pumping up your bills.

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A noisy boiler could indicate that your water pressure is low or there's a pump failure.

And frozen pipes could see your boiler pack in – something families should be aware of as the cold weather bites.

We explain why energy prices are going up – and what to do to beat the hikes.

Failed energy suppliers could add £85 onto your bills according to regulator Ofcom – here's why.

And bills could go up even more as the energy crisis ramps up.

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